On Sunday, firefighters switched from fire to ice in support of the Winkler Christmas Cheerboard.
Friendly competition
Rick Schroeder is the head organizer of the Charity Classic that sees the Winkler Fire Department lace up the skates to take on the Winkler Flyers in the annual hockey game. It's always entertaining.
“It was a shorter time frame to plan it this year due to the renovation and the busy schedule in the ICON and the Flyer schedule, of course,” he says. “But we got a day, we got the ice, and here we are.”
Shroeder considers the “community” event positive all around.
“It's a chance to raise money for a good cause," he says. "It gives the firefighters and the Flyers [an opportunity] to play a fun hockey game. It’s just an all-around fun event.”
For Eric Fehr, the director of development for the Winkler Flyers, former NHL player, and one of the teammates of the Firefighters’ team, the excitement before the game is always palpable.
“I am looking forward to it. We've had a couple of really tight games the last couple of years,” he says. “We're down a few players this year, so we're going to have to give it a little bit extra today.”
For Fehr, the hockey game’s relaxed atmosphere is also enjoyable.
“I just love getting the community together. Obviously, we have a very tight community and [on] a day like today we can just all get together, have some fun and be [in] a little bit more of a relaxed atmosphere and not quite as intense,” he says. “It’s . . . great to see everybody around and obviously great to see the volunteers that we have in this community coming out.”
Raising funds for holiday cheer
This year’s Charity Classic is the fourth iteration of the hockey game. Shroeder says the tradition has raised a total of $30,000 for hampers at the Winkler Cheerboard over the years.
“This is just overwhelming,” says Winkler Cheerboard Chair Crystal Rempel. “We are geared toward being a little bit more low-key this year with not being in the bigger Centennial Arena. [We have] smaller crowds and so on, but when we put a challenge to our community, they just always seem to step up. I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but I'm humbled.”
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A big impact
Rempel says that as the holiday season carries on, more and more applications tend to materialize at the Winkler Cheerboard. She says the “magic number” seems to hover around 400. The funds raised at the Charity Classic go a long way to support these applications and connect families in the community with a special Christmas experience.
Rempel has a message for the generous residents who support events like the Charity Classic.
“Thank you. Thank you. I can't say that enough,” she says. “I'm so proud to live in a community that has the heart of generosity that they do.”
Fehr echoes Rempel’s sentiment.
“This community just keeps giving. It's truly a special place to live and a special place to be,” he says. “We love this community — they're just so supportive. We just always really appreciate it."
See the Winkler Cheerboard’s donation metre to track the progress of contributions as the holiday season continues.
With files from Connie Bailey
